Historical Events in Church Annals for October 18th:

Death of Pope John VII, 86th successor of Peter. This Greek Pope was elected on March 1, 705. During his two year pontificate he refused to consent to the ambiguous claims of the Emperor Justinian II who initiated those massacres which drove the Latin peoples to separate themselves more and more from the Eastern Empire.

1417 A.D.

Death of Pope Gregory XII, 205th successor of Peter. This Venice-born Pope's papacy lasted eleven years and it was the saddest period of the Western Schism. It came to a point during his pontificate that there were three contemporaneous claims to papal obedience: Rome, Avignon and Pisa. The Emperor Sigismund called the 16th Ecumenical Council during which Gregory renounced the throne.

1405 A.D.

Birth of Enea Silvio Piccolomini at Pienza near Siena, Italy. He would become a cardinal and be chosen the 210th successor of Peter taking the name Pope Pius II on September 3, 1458. His ponticate would last six years.

1503 A.D.

Death of Pope Pius III, 215th successor of Peter who was Pope for only ten days. Even though the conclave knew he was deathly ill, they insisted he accept. The gout that he had contracted prevented him from celebrating his coronation Mass standing and so he was allowed to be seated throughout. He was, needless to say, an interim pontiff so the conclave could elect a younger man after more deliberation.

1987 A.D.

Pope John Paul II canonizes Saint Lawrence Ruiz and his companions, the first Filipino martyrs and saints.

1991 A.D.

Pope John Paul II celebrates the beatification of Brazilian Blessed Pauline of the Heart of Jesus in Agony during his papal trip to Brazil.